Museum of Tolerance
Artifact Research Activity
Artifacts give us the privilege of learning about the past, may it be family, culture, or traditions. Here, class members learn about their family's past with the help of an artifact, or family heirloom. Once an artifact is discovered,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Searching for Women and Identity in Chopin's "The Awakening"
The final lesson plan of a three-part series on Kate Chopin's The Awakening has scholars investigate life as a woman in late nineteenth-century America. They research the role of women in society through the eyes of the characters in the...
National History Day
Challenging the Status Quo: Women in the World War I Military
Why are some so resistant to change? The status quo is often to blame for a lack of forward movement in society. Following the events of World War I, women in America suddenly had a voice—and were going to use it. Scholars use the second...
Curated OER
The Candid Camera
Students examine the influence of photographer Jerome Liebling on documentary films. They read and discuss an article, take photographs, and create an original photo essay and artist statement.
Curated OER
Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"
Students translate the print based content of the play by utilizing mixed media skills to communicate an argument. In this play translation lesson plan, students analyze and translate the play A Raisin in the Sun and explore themes from...
Curated OER
George Orwell's Essay on his Life in Burma: "Shooting an Elephant"
Students read George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" as an analysis for the historical context. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze the main points in the essay to identify its cultural and historical context....
Curated OER
War Story Documentary
Middle schoolers review research skills and determine an aspect of war to research. They research an aspect of a war experience and bring history to life through iMovie.
Curated OER
Civil Rights Video Essay
Students research an event or a person from a decade in American history when the civil rights movement was an important focus. They create a multimedia project based on the research.
DocsTeach
From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
What do a photo of Abraham Lincoln, a map for the Battle of Antietam, and the Dred Scott decision all have in common? Learners consider the broader question as they examine documents related to civil rights during the Civil War and...
Curated OER
Outline a Travel Narrative
Fourth graders are taught how to outline a fictional narrative essay. They review the definition and structure of narrative essays. Students use the activity to brainstorm specific ideas for narrative essays. They are given a...
Curated OER
Newspapers: A Connection to Our Past
Students discuss current events and importance of understanding historical context for events today. They research current event and its historical context, and plan, shoot, and edit iMovie video essay using AppleWorks storyboard.
The New York Times
Writing Fiction Based on Real Science - NYTimes.com
Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...
Curated OER
The Autobiography of a Middle School
Students use digital cameras to document school experiences. Afterwards, they use computer software to manipulate their photos and write poetry, essays or biographies to compliment the pictures. Finally, students create an...
Curated OER
Madagascar Adventure
Middle schoolers develop photo essays on Madagascar's environmental challenges. In groups, middle schoolers research and develop photo essay slide shows to explore the issues of balancing the needs of Madagascar's human population with...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Clotilde, The Last Slave Ship
The Clotilde was the last known ship to bring slaves from Africa to the United States - good riddance! Dive into the details of the ship, its cargo, origin, and route, and learn about the future of the Africans on board with a...
Curated OER
The Greatest Generation: Capturing Their Stories with Digital Images
Students interview a family member of a different generation. After brainstorming story topic ideas, they choose a topic about which to write focused interview questions. Using their notes from the interviews, students write and essay...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Internet Photo Timeline
Students create a photographic timeline of the events in the life of Martin Luther King Jr. Working in small groups, they use internet research to find photos documenting the major events of his life. Their photos are printed and glued...
Curated OER
The Class Garden Essay
Fifth graders use a class garden as inspiration for a specific writing assignment. They conduct research into different types of flowers in photo images taken with a digital camera. Students write a creative essay and draw a picture to...
Global Oneness Project
The Value of Ancient Traditions
Imagine having to give up cell phones, computers, and TV? What would be lost? What gained? An examination of the Drokpa, a nomadic people who live in the grasslands of Tibet, provides class members an opportunity to consider how access...
Curated OER
Plagiarism in the Real World
How would you feel if someone plagiarized your work? After class members turn in an assigned newspaper article, you rewrite the piece using elements of their writing. Then you claim you will be selling the story and that you will profit...
Curated OER
Fun Along the Way: Technology and the Teaching of World Languages
Students record themselves saying basic biographical facts about themselves: : what their names are, where they live, how old they are, what languages they speak, and what activities they like to do. They practice their presentational...
Curated OER
Indi/Visual
Eighth graders take photographs for a photo essay contest. Using primary source documents, they review various types of artwork and discuss how some of the images have become commonplace. They use the internet to view examples of...
Curated OER
Narrative Cartoons
Students create narrative cartoons based on the activities of the Peace Corps. In this narrative cartoons lesson plan, students create comic strips where they draw and write about various activities that the Peace Corps is involved in.
Curated OER
Picture the Process
Students read Chasing Vermeer and relate the book to the author . In this writing process lesson plan, students view Blue's Photo Album and see how the author writes and revises her work. Students discuss the process that all good...